When Ghosts Return and Angels Whisper

It is December 6th, and for all of my life, there has been only one person I think about on this day.

When Ghosts Return

“I used to dream about finding my father. I dreamed he moved to the next town over, and one day I would ride my bike to his house and knock on his door and he would tell me it was all just a big mistake. And the two of us would ride home together, me on the front, my dad pedaling hard behind, and my mother would run out the door and burst into happy tears.

“It’s amazing the fantasies your mind can put together. The truth was, I didn’t know where my father lived and I never did find out.”

— Charley “Chick” Benetto, in Mitch Albom’s for one more day

In Mitch Albom’s story, Charley gets to spend another day with his mother “somewhere between this life and the next. With her tender guidance, he tries to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together.”

His father had never figured into his life much, and for one more day he still wouldn’t.

When Angels Whisper

I was far, far luckier than Chick Benetto. Both mother and father figured into my life. The only place my dad ever lived after my brothers, sister and I came into his life was with us and our mom. I knew him very well, and he loved us exceptionally well.

[Update: My sister just sent this photo to me. Mahalo Becca! Can you tell it was taken in the 1970s? That VW bug was my first car; I’m the one at the far right, standing to my dad’s left, and the woman on the far left of the photo is my grandmother Lillian, dad’s mom.]

Loved my grandmother deeply, yet if I were to have the chance to spend just one more very ordinary day with someone, just as Chick did, without a moment’s hesitation I’d choose to spend it with my Dad, and not just because today is his day.

Hau ‘oli la hanau Dad; have a great birthday celebration.

“…And as many stories do, especially when they are told as a way to comfort someone, and help the hurting heart remember another, this one has taken on a life of its own. It has gotten magnified into quite a few variations over sixteen years’ time, for my mom’s eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and for a variety of reasons.”

Read more, at When Children Sleep, Angels Whisper.

Comments

[Joanna Young]

Oh Rosa, such a lovely short, sweet piece of writing. Thanks for sharing it with us. My thoughts are with you today.

Joanna

[Rosa Say]

Thank you Joanna! My dad's birthday has become a time I get the gifts of remembering, counting my many blessings with profound gratitude. Mahalo for reading and sharing in this with me.

[curt protacio(the middle brother)]

hey sis', it's funny how that day seems to mean the same to all of us kids. more than anything i think it is representative of the impact that a loving father and all around good person can have on those in his life. in that respect we were all truly blessed to have had even that short time with him.

[Rosa Say]

Hi Curt! So you know, I am pretty proud of you and the dad you've become too!